Caramelized Butternut Squash is quintessential autumn food. With its tender texture and caramelized glaze – it’s a side-dish I can’t get enough of!
So I was checking out my blog’s Home page recently, assessing its visual presentation (with as neutral, objective an eye as possible…) and then it dawned on me…
I see no orange. What the?!!!!! Other than the cute little crock with the baked egg on top…I see no orange!
I see lots of pinkkkk – but no orange.
Geeez – we are now nearing the end of October, and I have yet to share one orange recipe. This is not good. Actually, it’s bad. Because autumn, if nothing else, should give us our ‘orange’ fix. And even if…even if we’re not (normally) a fan of the color orange…there is just something spectacular about the copper-y hues of fall. Am I right?
Speaking of orange… How ’bout that butternut squash? (Poor attempt at a segue, I know.) With the abundance of squash coming out of our local farms and CSA’s, we want, no, we need to take advantage of this tasty vegetable on more than a regular basis.
I was first introduced to caramelized butternut squash through none other than… Can you guess? Ina. Do I need to include her last name? I didn’t think so…
Back in my early years of hosting Thanksgiving dinner I did what any nervous, curious, clueless young maker of Thanksgiving dinner does. I scoured all the best books for traditional recipes. And when I came upon this recipe, I knew immediately it would become a staple on our Thanksgiving table.
I mean, what’s not to love about this tried and true?
- It’s orange
- It’s seasonal
- It’s mellow yet gratifying
- It’s sweet but not overly
- It complements every other dish on the table
- It’s easy to prepare (as long as you get someone else to peel it for you)
We just love our caramelized butternut squash! We love it as a bisque with cinnamon croutons, as a stuffing for shells with brown butter and sage, and roasted and drizzled with chile yogurt sauce.
It wouldn’t be autumn without it!
Buon Appetito!
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Caramelized Butternut Squash
- Category: Vegetable
Ingredients
- 2 large butternut squash (around 4 1/2 lbs. total), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Place the squash in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper and toss so they’re completely combined.
- Spread the squash in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
- Roast for 50 – 55 minutes, until the squash is tender and the sugar begins to caramelize.
- While roasting, gently turn the squash a couple times for even browning.
- Serve hot and season, to taste.
CIAO!
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